Chevron has commenced production at Lianzi field, which could produce 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day. (Image source: Mike Towber/Flickr)Chevron Overseas (Congo) Limited has commenced production of oil and gas from the Lianzi Field, located in a unitised offshore zone between DR Congo and Angola

This is the first cross-border oil development project offshore Central Africa, said Chevron.

The Lianzi field is located 105 km offshore and in 900 metres of water. It is also Chevron’s first operated asset in DR Congo, expected to produce 40,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Chevron Corporation executive vice-president for upstream Jay Johnson said, “This milestone demonstrates that we continue to make steady progress on delivering major development projects.”

The field, discovered in 2004, includes a subsea production system and a 43 km electrically-heated flowline system – the first of its kind at the given water depth. The system transports the oil from the field to the Benguela Belize-Lobito Tomboco platform in Angola’s Block 14 and utilises a Direct Electrical Heating (DEH) system to ensure fluid flow under a wide range of conditions, revealed Chevron.

Chevron Overseas (Congo) Limited is operator of the Lianzi Field with a 15.75 per cent interest, along with its affiliate Cabinda Gulf Oil Company Limited (15.5 per cent), Total E&P Congo (26.75 per cent), Angola Block 14 BV (10 per cent), Eni (10 per cent), Sonangol P&P (10 per cent), SNPC (the Republic of Congo National Oil Company – 7.5 per cent) and GALP (4.5 per cent).